10 Best Octopus Dishes in Los Angeles

Cooking octopus can be tricky. But when done right, it's tender, delicious and loaded with health benefits (low-calorie, lean, vitamin-rich). Japanese and Mediterranean diets are swimming, as it were, with octopus options -- as is this town, where many restaurants have the dish on their menus. According to a sampling of chefs, the Spanish and Portuguese seafood are generally favored, and most cooks have a specific size they prefer -- from one to seven pounds -- for reasons ranging from tenderness to plate presentation. Some eateries serve octopus with spices from Peru, while others experiment with the flavors of North Africa. Turn the page for 10 of our favorite octopus dishes around town.

There's no getting around the fact that octopus is on the plate when chef Efren F. Cardenas' wood-grilled octopus with crunchy chorizo, heirloom potato, Guajillo salsa and queso añejo arrives at the table. The tentacles swirl around the potatoes; crumbles of cheese drop into a sucker -- or two or three. It's quite a sight, although the highlight of Cardenas' creation has got to be the chorizo. 8155 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles; 323-655-5009.

Chef Casey Lane's plate of wood-grilled octopus resembles fingerling potatoes sitting atop chickpea puree. The octopus meat is incredibly tender, and acts as a canvas for the Basque country salsa, which has a terrifically strong kick from a mix of North African spices and Basque paprika. 840 S. Spring St., Los Angeles; 213-225-2400.